The Daily Spin, May 8
SBTRKT | THE RAT ROAD
Welcome back to the Daily Spin, the series in which I review 365 albums during 2023.
Each album will be given a rating on a scale from 0 to 10. You can look at the entire set here. Additionally, you can check out a list of my favorite song from each album right here.
If you want to suggest an album, good news! You can do so right here!
Album: THE RAT ROAD (2023)
Artist: SBTRKT
Link:
Somewhere in that nebulous range of RnB-allegiant poptronica that has seen stars like James Blake emerge over the past decade exists SBTRKT, likely best known as a frequent feature for names like Little Dragon and Sampha.
His first album in seven years shows delightful consistency in the time since his last release, yet I’m left underwhelmed at the lack of development and growth that has arisen in the time since. I don’t mandate an artist becoming better, necessarily, but I think it’s a testament to an artist’s skill in checking their ability to carve out their sound as the landscape around them changes - and too frequently, it doesn’t feel as though SBTRKT achieves that here.
When he gets comfortable picking up the pace, he’s at his best - his work with LEILAH here stands out, particularly, while the slower tracks on the album drag - turning 51 minutes into 510. Much like RAC on BOY, it feels a little bit like misappropriated funds here with the features - a wealth of talent distributed in a way that just… doesn’t really click? Big names in the world of grime and drill slide into interludes that slip between fingers like grains of sand, while Toro y Moi do a bookend feature that doesn’t put them in the right spotlight nearly as I wish it did.
It all feels a little empty, not unlike a club clearing out at the end of the night. I just wish it had more life to it.
Rating: 7.4/10
Best Tracks: NO INTENTION
Worst Tracks: YOU, LOVE